Abstract
Objectives: We aimed to develop a scale and evaluate this scale's validity and reliability to measure factors affecting people's knowledge and attitudes toward the pandemic breaking transmission chain.Methods: This exploratory mixed-method study was carried out in two phases: (1) item generation using literature reviews and interviews and, (2) item reduction by psychometric assessments of the developed scale. The face, content, construct (exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis), convergent, and discriminant validity of the scale were assessed in the Iranian population (n = 500) from March to June 2020. The Composite Reliability (CR) and the internal consistency correlation coefficient were estimated.Results: The Knowledge and Attitude Scale Toward COVID-19 Pandemic Breaking Transmission Chain (KA-C) among the Iranian population included 18 items. Two factors with a whole variance of 66.05% were identified by exploratory factor analysis. Factors were labeled as “health literacy” and “home health empowerment.” The confirmatory factor analysis showed the goodness of fit. The CR of the scale for first and second factors were 0.965 and 0.833 receptively. The scale's internal consistency correlation coefficient was acceptable (Cronbach's alpha = 0.960 and 0.823, average interitem correlation = 0.643 and 0.635, McDonald's omega = 0.963 and 0.829, for the first and second factor, receptively).Conclusion: The KA-C scale can be exerted to screen the people's knowledge and attitude about the COVID-19 pandemic breaking the transmission chain as a valid and reliable scale for further policymaking, health care providers, and for a multi-dimensional psychosocial assessment of the pandemic period.
Highlights
The world has been facing a new challenge in the past several last months
This study aimed to develop and assess the psychometric characteristics of the scale, which assesses the Iranian people’s awareness and attitudes toward the COVID19 pandemic and how to break the transmission chain as well as how these attitudes are practiced
The scale was developed using a comprehensive review of the literature and interviews, expert panel reviews to prospect content and face validity, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and Cronbach’s alpha coefficients to descry internal consistency and reliability
Summary
The new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, first emerged in Wuhan, Hubei province China, and has since turned into a global pandemic [1]. As a first response to control the spread of this new disease, travel bans and quarantine were introduced in many countries [2]. Since China was the first place of the novel coronavirus emergence, the government mandated a policy to quarantine Wuhan city on January 23, 2020. Reports of Chinas experience in public health control have shown that the number of people infected with COVID-19 and the peak of the spread was effectively reduced by reducing latent individuals’ interaction after quarantine and isolation. Citizens’ communication restriction policies, such as quarantine and isolation, are necessary for controlling the spread of COVID-19 [4]. The World Health Organization (WHO) [5] and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have declared social distance, hand, and respiratory hygiene as the best and easiest strategies to control and prevent infection [6]
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